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Week of July 17 through 23, 2001
Jeremy Bigwood is an investigative reporter and freelance photographer based in Washington, D.C. This article was funded in part by the Fund for Investigative Journalism.
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By Jer
From AJR, July/August 2001
MEDIA REPORTS of the cracked firewall between government intelligence and the press first surfaced in the mid-1970s. That's about when Congress released the Church Committee report, an investigation of the U.S. government/media relationship. Another investigation, the Pike Committee report, was leaked to the Village Voice in 1976 by then-CBS correspondent Daniel Schorr.
Both reports found that the second-largest category of CIA covert activities (after election-rigging) was to influence or use the press. At the time, "the CIA maintained covert relationships with some 50 U.S. journalists," the Church Committee report said. The reports did not release the names of any U.S. news organizations involved, but did mention Reuters.
In response to public and congressional outcry, then-CIA Director Adm. Stansfield Turner issued a two-page directive called "New Regulations Approved on CIA Relations with U.S. News Media." It prohibited the CIA from entering into relationships with accredited full- or part-time U.S. journalists for intelligence purposes without senior management approval of the organization concerned; or entering into any relationships with nonjournalist staff employees for intelligence purposes; or using the name of any U.S. news media or organization to provide cover for any CIA employees or activities.
However, the directive permits voluntary "open" and "unpaid" relationships with U.S. accredited journalists, and also allows journalists "to perform translating services or to lecture at CIA training courses." It also permits the CIA director to make any exceptions to the rules. In addition, the CIA's policy does not apply to freelance journalists or foreign journalists, with whom they are free to negotiate. The policy remains in effect.